Prez poll: NC to support UPA's Pratibha Patil

Srinagar, July 18: Barely few hours ahead of the Presidential elections, the UPA received another shot in the arm when the main opposition party in Jammu and Kashmir, National Conference (NC), in a complete u-turn decided to support ruling alliance candidate Pratibha Patil in the polls for the top post tomorrow.

The decision was taken at a joint meeting of the NC's Central Working Committee and the Legislature Party here chaired by party President Omar Abdullah and also attended by patron Farooq Abdullah.

In a statement here, the party said the coming Presidential elections were discussed threadbare at the meeting.

The NC decided that in keeping with its secular credentials and traditions, the party legislators and parliamentarians would vote for Ms Patil, who was supported by all secular and democratic forces of the country.

The party felt that it should be the endeavour of all political parties to work toward strengthening the secular and democratic fabric of the country, the statement added.

The NC also called upon all the political parties in the country to create a congenial atmosphere in which all sections of the society would live comfortably in peace, harmony and brotherhood.

Surprisingly, the NC legislators and parliamentarians did not meet Ms Patil during her visit here on July 7 to seek support from different political parties in Jammu and Kashmir.

Ms Patil is pitted against NDA-backed independent candidate Bhairon Singh Shekhawat for the top post.

The NC had earlier indicated its willingness to join the United National Progressive Alliance (UNPA), a newly formed outfit of eight regional parties, when Dr Abdullah attended a meeting of the alliance at the residence of Samajwadi Party (SP) leader Amar Singh in New Delhi on July 9.

TDP leader Chandrababu Naidu, SP supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav, INLD chief Om Prakash Chautala had also attended that meeting.

At a news conference here on July 12, the former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister had claimed to have turned down an offer of the UNPA to contest for the post of Vice-President as the 'Third Front' candidate.

Dr Abdullah said he turned down the advice of his ''friends'' to contest the elections for the post of Vice-President because he wanted to campaign extensively for his party in the next Assembly elections in the state scheduled for 2008.

The NC patron had also said that he would attend a meeting of the UNPA in New Delhi on July 14 to decide its stand on the Presidential and Vice-Presidential elections.

UNI